A locust control campaign is starting in Madagascar against a plague of the Malagasy Migratory Locust, which threatens the food security and livelihoods of 13 million people or nearly 60 percent of the island's population.

FAO has issued a new warning to the international community that the H7N9 and H5N1 avian influenza viruses continue to pose serious threats to human and animal health, especially in view of the upcoming...

Understanding the potential role of animals in the emergence and spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) requires further investigation, analysis and study, FAO said today. Current evidence is not sufficient to identify the specific source, whether animal or otherwise, of the coronavirus...

Locusts have already infested over half of the island nation’s cultivated land and pastures

Madagascar is in the grips of a largely uncontrolled locust plague and risks a serious food crisis. A large-scale emergency control campaign urgently requires a minimum of $22 million in funding to start in time for the...

Two years ago, the world reached a milestone: FAO declared the world free from rinderpest on 28 June 2011. Rinderpest is a highly contagious animal disease also known as cattle plague. Next week FAO and the world are celebrating the two-year anniversary of the eradication of the virus. FAO will...

FAO has urged countries in Asia to remain vigilant in the face of the avian influenza A(H7N9) virus. The best way to protect people and animals against the virus is to continue raising public awareness and strengthening biosecurity on farms and along the...

FAO warns this year’s strong wheat output could be hampered by wheat rusts

FAO is calling for countries in the global ‘wheat belt’ to step up monitoring and prevention for wheat rusts – fungal diseases that do especially well in particularly wet seasons. Yields could be affected across North Africa, the...

FAO has joined the call for urgent action to prevent the spread of Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) and Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) in Africa. The two diseases, both transmitted by whiteflies and the movement of infected planting materials, pose an enormous threat to the food security and livelihoods of...